Molding machine for shaping plastic material



June 16, 1925.

J. S. OSTROM momma momma FOR- SHAPING PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 22,1921 '4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR John S; Osirom.

MaiQiJ-rzwQ WITNESS 11m .Jun 16, 1925.

I J. 5. OSTROM MOLDING mcnm: FOR SHAPING PLASTIC MATERIAL.

FiledSept. 22. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Q John 5. Osl'rom. M mz fim 9 ATTORNEYS J. S. OSTROM MOLDING MACHINE FOR SHAPING PLASTIC MATERIALJune 16, 1925.

Filed Sept. 22. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet :s

WITNESS 29 June 16, 1925. 1,542,348 7 J. S. QSTRO'M MOLDING MACHINE FORSHAPING PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 22. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORWITNESS \11 2? John 5. Osham ATTORNEYS Patented June 16, 1925.

um'rso STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN s. os rnon, or sen mmnerseo", camronnrn, nssrenon TO HENRY nnnvn &COMPANY, or san FRANCISCO, oAr-rronnm, A FIRM conrosnn or HENRY nnrnnAND HERMAN Moss;

. MOLDING MACHINE FOR SHAPING PLASTIC MATERIAL.

Application filed September 22, 1921. Serial No. 502,332.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. Qs'rnon, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented a new and useful Molding l\lachine for Shaping PlasticMaterial, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a machine for shaping plastic candyinto .a string, though it is not limited to use on candy stock only. j v

Great quantities of candy are molded into small cubical blocks calledcaramels which are automatically wrapped in suitable machines to whichthe stock is fed in a string of a given cross-section. In preparing thestock it is ordinarily rolled into flat sheets of prescribed thicknessand this is subdivided into strings of given width whichis then fed tothe wrapping machine and there cut into blocks.

It isoneof the objects of my invention to construct an improvedmolding-machine capable of use in such processes, that serves to shape,the material to be formed into a fiat strip, which may later beoperatedupon in any desired manner.

,Insuch machinesgashaping roller is used, which operates inconjunctionwith a table oranot-her roller to define apa-ssageway for the stock. Theseparation between the cooperating parts is adjustable to take care ofdifferent thicknesses of stock. It is another objeotof my invention toprovide an improved guide leading to this passageway, whereby thematerial may be effic ently guided irrespective of theextent of open ngbetween the rollers. g a The invention possesses other objects andfeatures of advantage, some of which, with the foreg'mg, will be iinademanifest in the following description of the preferred form of theinvention, which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and formingpart of the specification. It is to be understood that it is notintended to limit the invention to the, embodiment shownby the saiddrawingsanddescription, as variationsmay be adopted within the scopeofthe invention as set forth in the claims.

Fig. l is an elevation of the feed end of the machine.

F g. Fig. Fig.

- stant space or width irrespective of the variation in the otherdimension.

The variation of the spacing is accomplished by parallel movement of therotary members relatively. Feed and discharge means are combined withthe shaping members and are provided with adjustable side wallscomplementary to the shiftable and to the non-shifting rotary members tomaintain continuity of stock guide irrespective of the variation of theeffective shaping means.

More specifically, the machine has a suitable frame or bed 2, applicableto a supporting structure which may be the top of a wrapping machine notshown. Perinanent or separable bearing brackets for different parts areprovided on the bed, one of which is shown at 3 as carrying a feed orguide box having side flanges 44 and a bottom 4 The flange & is cut awayat its inner end'in an arc 4 whichis complementary to the rim of arotary shaping member in the form of a short cylindrical roller L having.a flange Z on one side only. This flange and the end of the box flange4 are in a common plane and the inner end of the bottom l extends alongthe flange land is tangential to the roller body L, as seen in Fig. 3.

The lower roller L is secured on .a shaft 5 being of such diameter thatthe adjacent bodies of the rollers may be laterally separated to adesired degree before the flanges leave the opposing roller end. Fromthis it will be seen that there may be formed between the rollers, aspace having one dimension determined by the distance between theperipheries of the roller bodies, and another dimension determined bythe distance between the flanges flanking the roller ends. This space Sis shown in Fig. 1, as rectangular.

To vary one dimension of the roller space and thus to determine thecross-section of a string of candy stock advanced between the rollersfrom the feed box 44 suitable means are provided whereby the slidingblock 8 may be shifted to raise or lower the shaft and its roller U.Such means may include a screw 10 rotatably mounted in a cap 11 on theyoke 7 and threaded into the upper end of the block 8.

Thus the rollers are relatively separable to open or close the gate orspace S through which the candy must pass and be formed or rolled by therollers L and U. The roller L being non-shiftable, the wall 4 restsclose to the flange Z, but as the roller U is shiftable it is desirableto provide a movable end piece 4 in the plane of the flange 16 and ofthe wall 4 so that as the flange ulifts along the end of the roller bodyL, no lateral opening will be formed. The end piece 4 has a curved edgeproximate to the flange a of the upper roller U and is attached by aplate 12 to the near side of the block 8 and will be adjustable with andby the block.

A somewhat similar box or discharge chute 13 is provided on the bed 2and at the opposite face of the rollers to receive and guide the shapedstring to a suitable point, as to the subadjacent wrapping mechanismwhen the present molding machine is so adapted. This box is alsoprovided with a movable end wall 13 in the plane of the shiftable flangeu, and is movable by the block 8 to which it is attached.

The rollers are driven by suitable means so that their adjacenteffective surfaces run in the same direction. An effective drive meansincludes a sprocket wheel 15, secured on the shaft 9, which is engagedby a sprocket chain 16 passing tangentially from the bottom of the wheelto the top of a lower sprocket wheel 17, thence half around the wheeland off to an idler 18. From the idler the chain runs to and around a.tension pulley 19 and then back to the upper wheel 15. The pulley 19 ismounted on a swinging lever or arm 20 pivoted on a support 21 andyieldingly controlled by a spring 22 which acts to hold the chain 16tight, but yieldswhen the upper wheel 15 is adjusted away from the lowerwheel 17.

The wheel 17 is secured on shaft 5, journaled in the frame 6, and thisis driven by a bevel gear 24 meshing with a pinion 25 secured on a jackspindle 26 arranged in bearings 27 28.

WVhile power may be transmitted to the shaft 26 in any desired manner,it is preferable that means be employed providing for a ready and amplevariation in the speed or rotation of the forming rollers L and U, as isfound in practice to be necessary, because of the great difference inthe viscosity of different stocks or batches of candy in bulk.

To secure such change of speed, a transmission is shown as including asprocket pinion 29, secured on the spindle 26, meshing with a chain 30which passes around a wheel 31 secured on a shaft 32 parallel to thespindle 26 and mounted in bearings 33, below the feed box 44 On theshaft 32 is fixedly provided a conical pulley 34 and loosely mounted onthe spindle 26, is a similar, but reversely disposed, conical pulley 35,having on one end a spur gear 36, which meshes with a smaller pinion 37rigid with a counter-shaft 38 mounted in a boss-bearing 39 of a bracket40.

The counter-shaft may be driven by any desired means and is shown asprovided with a sprocket wheel 41 which is driven by a chain, not shown,connected to a driver, for instance, forming a part of a wrappingmachine.

Power is transmitted from the driving cone to the driven cone 34 bymeans of a belt 42 which is associated with a tension and shiftingdevice including a small spoolpulley 43, journaled in a travelerarranged between the cones and having posts 44 vertically slidable in anut 45 shiftable along parallel rod and screw members 46-47 extendingfrom the bracket 40 to bracket 40, which carries the bearings 27-33. Thescrew 47 has at one end a hand wheel 47 by which it may be rotated andthereby shift the nut and with it the spool-pulley overlying the belt42, which, moving toward the smaller end of the driver, decreases thespeed of the shaft 32 and, when moving oppositely, increases the speedof the shaft 32.

Tension of the belt is maintained by 1 yieldingly mounting thespool-pulley. This is accomplished as by confining expansion springs 44around the lower ends of the rods 44, for the function of pulling thepulley 43 down in the belt.

From the above it will be seen that a plastic bar or hank of candy canbe worked into the feed box 44 and when subjected to the drawing actionof the contiguous faces of the rollers LU, will be accurately andrapidly pressed into a string of the desired cross-section, which iseasily secured by the relative lateral adjustment of the rollers. Sincethere is an obvious separating motion of points of the rollers from theproximal location as they pass the plane in which their axes areparallel, this facilitates clearance and prevents sticking of the candyin the gate so that a uniform string or bar of the candy passes from theshaping roller directly into the discharge gnidewayQ I claim:

1. In a machine for shaping plastic material, a pair of rollers arrangedon parallel axes, means for varying the opening between the rollers, astationary guide leading to the opening, and a wall section for theguide arranged at the side thereof and adjacent the end of the rollers,said section being mechanically connected to the varying means, wherebythe position of the wall section is adjusted simultaneously with theopening.

2. In a machine for shaping plastic material, a roller, a member withwhich the roller cooperates to define an opening, means for adjustingtheposition of the roller so as to vary the size of the opening, a guideleading to the opening, and a wall section for the guide arranged at theside thereof and adjacent the end of the rollers, said section beingmechanically connected to the adjusting means, whereby the position ofthe wall section is adjusted simultaneously with the opening.

3. In a machine for shaping plastic material, a pair of rollers arrangedon parallel axes, means for varying the opening between the rollers, anda stationary guide chute leading to the opening, said chute having anadjustable wall section arranged at the side of the chute and adjacentthe end of, the rollers, whereby the chute may define a guide the wallsof which form a substantially uninterrupted surface with the edges ofthe rolls for any relative adjustment thereof. t

4-. In a machine for shaping plastic material, a roller, a member withwhich the roller cooperates to define an opening, means for adjustingthe position of the roller so as to vary the size of the opening, achute having a side wall adjacent the end of the rollers, said chuteforming a guide to the opening, said wall being shaped to fit theperiphery of the roller and adjustable so that it may be maintainedclose to the roller for any adjusted position thereof.

5. In a machine for shaping plastic material, a stationary roller, aparallel adjustable roller forming with the stationary roller anadjustable opening, an overhanging flange on the adjustable roller inproximity to the edge of the stationary roller,

an adjustable bearing block for supporting the adjustable roller, and achute forming a guide to the opening, said chute having an adjustableside wall in substantially the same plane as the overhangingfiange andmechanically connected to the bearing block.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN s. OSTROM.

